Roads are still the issue we hear about most on the doorstep across West Lancashire. So here is where things stand as winter approaches.
On 3 September Lancashire County Council’s cabinet approved adding a further £10m to this year’s highways maintenance budget. The council’s finance report says the extra money was secured “as a result of the Efficiency Review”.
That brings total investment in Lancashire’s roads in 2026/27 to £88.9m, according to the council.
What it is paying for
The council reports that since April its highways teams have resurfaced more than 361,000 square metres of road and surface-dressed more than 1.16 million square metres. They have also cleaned 74,153 gullies in the annual drainage programme, to help the network cope with heavy rain.
The emphasis this year is on preventative work and longer-lasting repairs, so roads hold up better through the cold months rather than being patched again and again.
Not finished
Nobody is pretending the job is done. The council’s own assessment is measured: “While there is always more to do, the work completed so far means Lancashire is entering the colder months in a much stronger position than it was at the start of the year.”
The extra money is a choice: funding found inside the council put back into the roads people use every day. If there is a road in Skelmersdale, Ormskirk, Burscough or the villages that needs attention, report it to the county council and let your Reform county councillor know.
